“Cause and Symptoms” (Part I)

By Dr. John Taylor
Deep Tissue Chiropractic

WARNING! The Health Care Industry could be habit forming, addictive as well as ineffective and costly!

The general public should realize the Health Care industry is a business and the practitioners in all areas of this vocation are in it to make money. Unfortunately, in my opinion there are a few practitioners that enjoy repeat customers so much they choose not to cure them of their malady. This sounds absurd, but is it? Part Two of this paper will talk about such practitioners, but for now I will focus on pharmaceuticals that are targeted at treating symptoms instead of the cause of a medical disorder.

A good example that will verify my statement is the statin medications prescribed to lower a person’s cholesterol in the hopes it will prevent heart attacks and stroke. The only problem with this scenario is that statins are addressing the symptoms and not the true cause of the problem. These medications can lower a person’s cholesterol which may postpone a patient’s heart attack that may still occur because the true cause is not being addressed.

First, cholesterol is a very important component of our bodies structure and function. Our bodies are comprised of billions of cells that all have cellular membranes composed mainly from cholesterol. Since these cells are replicating constantly we need cholesterol on an ongoing basis. And the very components that allow our bodies to function on a daily and lifetime basis is the endocrine system which controls the production of hormones providing homeostasis. Hormones are all produced from cholesterol. Cholesterol is a key component in the life of our bodies, yet whenever people think of it they are frightened of what it could do. Again, cholesterol sticking to arterial walls is a symptom of the true cause of heart attacks and stroke. The sad thing is if the true cause was addressed in a healthy manner it would be less costly and more effective in preventing heart attacks and stroke than all the cholesterol lowering medications with their serious side effects. Some of these side effects are memory loss, a very common problem in our society with Alzheimer’s becoming more and more prevalent. Another side effect of these statins is elevated blood sugar levels and Type II Diabetes, another deadly disease. Diabetes causes atherosclerotic plaques, the very thing Statins are supposed to prevent.

All these statins decrease cholesterol but at the same time they decrease a nutrient that is key in the elimination of fat and health of the heart. CoQ10 is the final step that utilizes fat in the production of energy in the Krebs cycle. The Krebs Cycle takes place in a cell’s mitochondria where food is transformed through a series of reactions until usable energy is produced as adenine triphosphate. Without CoQ10 we cannot use fat for fuel so the body accumulates more fat which by itself increases our blood pressure another cause of heart attacks and stroke. Plus, who wants to put on extra fat?

All these statins which are extremely costly don’t actually treat the cause of plaques on the arterial walls which can cause heart disease and stroke even if your cholesterol has been lowered. Lowering cholesterol to prevent heart disease and strokes is not focusing on the true cause of the problem. What is the true cause of plaques on arterial walls?

To decrease the chance of heart attacks and stroke then the true cause should be identified and treated. What causes accumulation of cholesterol and other substances is inflammation of the arterial walls. When the arterial walls are inflamed they act like magnets which causes this plaque that can be dislodged by flowing blood, resulting in heart attacks and stroke. Cholesterol does not cause inflammation of the arterial walls, free radicals from the processed foods we eat do. Free radicals are released into our blood from the foods we consume, and they attach to the receptors on arterial walls causing inflammation and therefore plaque buildup. Reducing cholesterol may slow down the accumulation of plaque on arterial walls, but eventually if the walls are inflamed plaques will continue. So the question is how do we prevent this inflammation?

The first way to prevent this inflammation is to reduce the free radicals that do the damage. The best way to address this issue is the consumption of antioxidants in the form of Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Taken together these two Vitamins work synergistically to rid the blood stream of free radicals. These Vitamins attach themselves to these radicals, rendering them helpless to do damage. Then they are passed harmlessly out of your body. But Vitamin C plays another important role in restoring the arterial walls to a healthier state. Vitamin C interacts with two separate amino acids, glysine and proline, to produce collagen the most common substance in our soft tissue matrix. Our bones, muscles, organs, tendons, ligaments are comprised mainly of this valuable substance. This collagen is used to rebuild and sustain tissue that was injured or during the replication of cells. So, in this way Vitamin C prevents heart attacks and strokes by rebuilding and maintaining a healthy arterial system so that plaques won’t occur. Check with your doctor before starting a Vitamin regimen.

Another aid in reducing plaque buildup is an aspirin a day. Aspirin works in two ways: it thins the blood by inhibiting platelet aggregation (clots), and is a potent anti inflammatory medicine which will address arterial walls that are inflamed. However, aspirin can irritate the stomach lining with possible ulcers resulting. Check with your doctor before starting an aspirin regimen.

In closing I do not recommend stopping or modifying statin therapy. Statins do slow the development of plaques on our arterial walls which will break off and cause heart attacks and stroke. But I would suggest taking Vitamin C 1000 mg and Vitamin E 400 IUs twice daily. Start with 500 mg of Vitamin C for the first couple weeks to allow the body adjustment to this vital nutrient. This will treat the true cause of heart disease and stroke and it is so inexpensive. For ten dollars you can supply your body with these crucial supplements for a month. Also, if you take statins I highly recommend taking CoQ10 to maintain the production of energy from adipose tissue and reduce the chance of gaining extra weight. I also suggest keeping track of your blood sugar levels to avoid the onset of Type II Diabetes.